


Infinity War Countdown

by soaracrossthesky (Fumiko)



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Genre: Awesome Facial Hair Bros Appreciating Each Other Snarkily, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Feels, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Cloak of Levitation (Marvel), Dum-E and his fire extinguisher - still a better love story than Twilight, Fluff, For Science!, Fuck Superior Iron Man And Everything It Brought To Us, Gen, Hypersensitive Peter Paker, Iron dad and Spider son, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, Matt And Tony Do Not Hate Each Other, Matt Murdock Wouldn't Have A Problem With The Accords Because They Are NOT The Registration Act, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Peter Parker plays pretend Iron Man and you cannot tell me otherwise, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Precious Peter Parker, Rhodey Just Wants Tony To Be Happy, Science Bros, Shuri and Tony are Bros, Snapshots, So It Especially Loves Hugging Tony, T'Challa is right to fear for the planet, The Cloak Loves Tony And Hugging, Tickle Fights, Tony And Stephen Banter Flirtily, Tony Feels, Tony Is Worried For Bruce, Tony Misses Bruce, Tony Stark Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony and Vision Cook, Tony learned Italian cooking from his mom, Vision (Marvel) Cooks, and now he tries to pass it on to vision, because as soon as Tony introduces Peter to Shuri there will be no stopping them, because that won't end in disaster, goal is every day one small thingy, implied (pre-)Bruce/Tony, implied Carol Danvers/James Rhodes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-01
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2019-04-16 19:23:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 6,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14171781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fumiko/pseuds/soaracrossthesky
Summary: It' April, guys! IW is within our reach! To control the giddy anticipation, I'm channeling some of that energy into writing. Hopefully mostly fluff, all about Tony, directly or indirectly.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! It's my first time publishing fanfic for Marvel. I can't wait for Infinity War but simultaneously expect that everything will hurt. So here I am, making a precautionary fluff cushion. I hope to update everyday but the snapshots will be accordingly short. This is very Tony positive, so please turn back now if you don't appreciate his character. Constructive and polite criticism is appreciated. Please note that English is not my first language.

“Platypus, I am ruined!"

Tony Stark was often described as a drama queen, from acquaintances and the public alike. But virtually nobody would believe James Rhodes if he ever decided to announce just how theatrically his brother in everything but blood - well, technically also that since Tony had decided they totally should become blood brothers one summer back at MIT - could wail and throw himself onto sofas when he felt the need to and was comfortable with everyone present.

"About damn time, too," he snarked at the genius, "How you managed to sham everyone into buying your lousy tech is beyond me."

An offended gasp escaped Tony and he placed his right hand delicately on the center of his chest. "Why, I have never been so insulted in my entire career. Admit it, you are just jealous of my wealth and my handsome looks. But you can't fool me, I'm on to you and I don't trust you."

Tony's words were undermined by the fact that he snuggled deeper into the sofa and, thus, closer to Rhodey. The colonel snorted affectionately.

"Sure, I'm just in this to sneak my way into your will. Not that it will do me much good if you are ruined. So how comes?"

Tony lifted his butt slightly from his seat, pulled his phone out of the back pocket of his trousers and slumped down again as he let the screen light up. He fiddled quickly with it and then shoved the device under Rhodey's nose.

"Here! It's horrible, honeybear. My reputation is good as gone!"

Rhodey took the offered phone and barked out a laugh.

'Suit of Iron, Heart of Gold?' the headline of a tabloid article questioned, supported by a candid shot of Tony in full armor except for the retracted faceplate, one arm slung over the shoulders of Peter Parker, his anonymity of course protected by the Spider-Man suit. The lop-sided, proud smile lighting up Tony's face was perfectly captured. It was a beautiful photo and Rhodey made a mental note to look the article up again and save the picture.  
Quickly, he skimmed the article which was pure speculation about Spider-Man, about how he came about and what exactly the Iron Man had to do with it. In the comments, some people were gushing over the two superheroes, interlaced with the usual harebrained theories of Spider-Man being Tony Stark's illegitimate son, Spider-Man being a biochemical experiment which was the true reason Bruce Banner had disappeared from the face of the planet and, of course, the evergreen of Spider-Man being a clone of Tony Stark with genetic anomalies. For someone who knew the truth, it was absolutely hilarious.

"Eh, the people are lapping it up. Maybe you could use that kind of image change. Heartless bastards are out."

Now it was Tony's turn to scoff.  
"Puh-lease, heartless bastards are never out. People are stupid like that."

Tony's phone vibrated and Rhodey glanced at the screen which announced a new message from 'Spiderling'. Before Tony could open his mouth, Rhodey had the text already displayed.

'THERE'S ANOTHER ARTICLE ABOUT US, MR S! CAN U MAKE KAM SHUT UP ABOUT IT?? SHE'S TXTING ME NONSTOP HOW CUTE WE ARE!!! UUGGHHH!!!! PLEASE MAKE HER STOP!!'

Rhodey chuckled. The kids were the best thing that could have happened to them. "Between the two of us, I think the next generation might be cleverer than that."

"Who's the softie now, honey bunch?"

"You, Tones. Definitely you."


	2. Chapter 2

“I do not mean to be insulting but I am highly unsure about the safety of this arrangement."

"Oh, you're absolutely right, Viz," Tony shrugged carelessly, "This will probably blow up in our faces. What do you think, FRI?"

Had FRIDAY been developed that far, she would have sighed in resignation. But with her current level of emotional depth - or, to be brutally honest, the lack of it - she reached the borders of her programming with a deadpan voice and snark. But it was already a very good deadpan and Tony was very proud of his baby girl for it.  
"Do you really want me to calculate the probability of the stove catching fire, boss?"

"Nah, I'm good." With those words, Tony thrust an apron into Vision's hand and then proceeded to roll up his sleeves. "Besides, we won't need the stove for the dough."

Vision put on the apron and fastened it around his hips. Then, he looked expectantly at Tony. "How will we proceed now?"

Tony pointed at the kitchen counter. "Flour, eggs, water, salt and a dash of sugar. Shouldn't be too difficult."

The synthezoid began to amass said ingredients and procured a bowl to mix everything in, as well.

"First the flour and eggs," Tony instructed. Vision froze after a long moment of indecisive hovering.

"How much do I need?" He sounded more curious than confused, but Tony could practically see a frown forming on his forehead. But, once more, the genius shrugged.

"Eh, just wing it. Maybe...I dunno, five eggs on a solid pound of flour? Does that sound good?"

"I don't know," Vision replied with a helpless gesture, "You said you know the recipe."

Tony waved his hand in dismissal. "Sure do. But not with exact measurements. That's not how I learned it."

Vision looked unperturbed as always, but Tony could tell those news irked the synthezoid immensely. "Then how do you reproduce it correctly? Precise instructions are necessary to-"

"Wow wow wow, Viz, no!" Tony was completely aghast and shook his head in disbelief. "That's science you're talking about. Cooking isn't science, buddy. It's passion. My mom taught me that. She didn't cook all that much, we had personnel for that. But she was Italian through and through, and if there is one thing that means, it means cooking with your heart," he stopped in his tracks to glance at the artificial light glowing in his chest once more, "Maybe that's why I suck at it."

His joke fell flat since Vision was busy trying to comprehend that strange explanation of cooking.

Tony cleared his throat to get Vision's attention again. "It's also how she taught me this pasta dish. It's an old family recipe. And you can't make that with exactly x milligram of flour or something like that."

"I don't think I understand," Vision sighed in resignation, "Hopefully not yet."

"Then I'll try to teach you. And not to set the kitchen on fire in the process. FRI, do you think I should get Dummy with the fire extinguisher up here for that?" The AI was silent and Tony nodded. "You're right, stupid idea."

Two hours later, Tony and Vision were looking at the pitiful result of their experiment.

"That does not look like it is enough food to sustain four people, let alone eight, among them three growing teenagers, one of them genetically enhanced."

Tony sniffed with as much dignity as he could muster covered in flour. "Pasta's not a main dish in Italy, Viz. This is only the first course."

Vision looked at him and raised one nonexistent eyebrow. "And what do you plan on producing in one hour for that?"

Tony's head whipped around as he hastened to look at the clock on the wall which was indeed telling him that the guests for dinner were boundvto arrive soon. He cursed under his breath.  
"Great. I shouldn't have tried this today. Dunno why I thought it would be a good idea."

Vision put a hand in Tony's shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Perhaps because you feel like having a family dinner is appropriate for today. And I, for one, feel honored that you regard us all so closely."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The dinner company consists, of course, of Rhodey, Pepper, Happy, Peter, Tony, Vision and Harley Keener plus his mom and sister. Only, Vision does not really eat, so he does not count himself when guessing how much noodles they made.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Many people would have given a lot of things to get a peek into the workshop of the one and only Tony Stark.

Many people would have given a lot of things to get a peek into the workshop of the one and only Tony Stark. To be allowed to watch Tony at work in there had always been somewhat of a wild dream for Peter Parker. And now here he was, having his very own entry code to come inside whenever he wanted. He could barely believe it. The small card with the magical seven digits and the words 'For science playtime. -T' beneath them trembled in his hands. On the second look he realized it were his hands that were shaking. A lump constricted his throat and his cheeks already hurt from the nearly manic grin that was etched into his face and would probably not go away for the next few hours. Peter really could not help himself but fall into a sprint towards the elevator, chanting "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god" under his breath.

"Workshop, please, FRIDAY!" He almost yelled, not taking a single breath inbetween and talking so fast the words blurred together.  
FRIDAY, brilliant and gracious program that she was, appreciated that he still took the time to be polite to her and started the ride down. Peter bounced on the spot, all giddiness and excitement confined to a sixteen year old boy.

For him, the ride appeared to last for a small eternity before the doors finally opened again. Immediately, Peter hurried out of the cabin and only came to a halt once he stood in front of the electronic lock on the door to the workshop. With gleaming eyes, Peter held up the card to enter the code.

His right hand was trembling so badly, he almost pressed the wrong number twice.

Finally, a beep was emitted and a click announced the lock opening just a moment before the door slid open.

Peter squealed as if his voice wasn't currently breaking - thanks so much, puberty - and dashed inside as if afraid that his access would be revoked if he hesitated just a second too long.

Inside the workshop, a vivacious orchestral piece echoed from the speakers while Tony was working on something Peter could not identify with filigree tools, humming along to the melody. Neither could Peter contain his joy any longer.  
"Thank you thankyouthankyou," he exclaimed as he propelled himself forward, out and about to fling his arms around Tony's neck. At the last second, he remembered the last time he hugged Tony, back in the car after Germany and everything. Only due to his superhuman reflexes he stopped mere millimeters away from touching the man who flinched away from his work in surprise at the sudden and loud appearance and set down his tools. Then, he turned around and looked at Peter questioningly.

The boy looked a little lost and shrank back sheepishly. "Sorry, Mister S."

A fond smile spread over Tony's face and he ruffled Peter's mop of hair. "It's alright, kid. I think, we're there, now." He had not spread out his arms completely yet when Peter already flung himself into the offered hug.  
"You're the best, Mister Stark," he mumbled into the grease-stained MIT shirt he was pressing his face against.

Tony's arms tightened around Peter.

"I think it's about time you call me Tony."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I adore Tony listening to classic rock while working like in the movies, I headcanon him also listening to various classical composers. It's comic canon that he does (even while piloting the suit in battle) and I love that far too much to let it out in some way.
> 
> Edit: fixed a little spelling issue.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter wore a shirt made out of the new cloth prototype and had to suffer Tony poking and prodding him in various ways.

Superheroing with Iron Man was unbelievably awesome. Spending leisure time with Tony Stark was even better. But nothing topped working in a lab with Peter's idol. And Tony often asked him down for assistance when he tinkered with upgrading the Spider-Man suit, always keen on Peter's opinions and his assessments of what could work even better out on a mission. He also tried to teach Peter about engineering by building the upgrades together after they developed the ideas. Peter thrived on the feeling of being that important to Tony and Tony was able to ease his mind about Peter facing violent threats and dangerous people.

This time, they were working on the suit material. Peter needed maximal sensory capacity on his palms and the soles of his feet to guarantee his intuitive movements and, thus, his continued survival. This gave Tony the task to make the suit as resilient as possible: fire resistant, bulletproof, non pierceable by blades, while not channelling coldness, allowing the skim to breath and not deprive the wearer of his tactile sense while still being a reasonable layer of protection. As someone who did not spend his time saving the world clad in spandex like other heroes, it was a challenge for Tony to work with these requirements. But, as usual for the engineer, he thrived on difficult work.

Peter wore a shirt made out of the new cloth prototype and had to suffer Tony poking and prodding him in various ways. Just a minute ago, he had looked how close he could hold a lit blowtorch before the heat became uncomfortable for Peter. Tony had muttered displeased at the results about lowering the percentage of metal and looking into alloy replacements.

Now, Tony jabbed Peter's side repeatedly with the handle of a screwdriver.  
"On a scale from one, being you didn't register that at all, to ten, being like a mosquito bite you're not allowed to scratch, where would you place that?"

"Umm," Peter pondered over the answer for a moment, "A - a five? I mean, uh, I definitely felt it, but it was, like, cushioned. You didn't push very hard, though, so..." He trailed off uncertainly and shrugged helplessly.

Tony huffed, visibly frustrated. "And how does the material feel?"

"It's...there," Peter replied, obviously unsure how to express his thoughts on that matter correctly. "It doesn't itch or scratch or anything," he added hastily, immediately in a hurry to reassure his mentor, "But I just feel it on my skin."

Tony stared at Peter incredulously. "This stuff is one of the lightest, snug materials in existence!" He exclaimed and poked Peter in the side with his forefinger. "Just how sensitive are you?"

Peter flinched under the touch, a muffled giggle escaping his throat. "Pretty sensitive," he admitted, "Ever since the - the bite, I feel much more on my skin."

Tony was baffled and amazed once more just how much must have changed for his protégé with his transmutation. "You're lucky Bruce isn't here," he said without thinking and laughed in delight at the mental image, "He probably wouldn't want to let you out of his lab until he has found out everything about your change." The ache in his heart slammed into him like a wall of concrete after falling down hundreds of miles. God, he missed the scientist and his green alter ego with a fierce passion. His smile trembled and he cleared his throat to avoid getting emotional in front of Peter. He also firmly sidelined the trail of thought that began to plan for the likely occurrence that Peter would suffer from sensory overload sometimes and decided to lighten his own mood instead.

"You know, Spiderling, this means I have to do a lot more tests."

"Really?" Peter sighed in resignation.

"Yep."

The sigh quickly turned into a series of shrieks as Tony began to mercilessly tickle him.

"Ahh, s-stop," the teenager tried to fight off the cruel attack but he was gasping and wriggling too much to really do something.

"But it's for science, Peter," Tony reprimanded him with a wide grin, "For science!"

"Aaahh, FRIDAY! Help! Dum-E! Aah!"

The addressed bot chirped eagerly and rolled towards the two humans. Both of them tumbled to the ground laughing and giggling as they got doused with fire extinguisher foam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's for Elsie who requested Tony tickling Peter in the comments. I hope you enjoyed it!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony stood in the doorway and took in the scene in front of him, grinning at what he saw.

“Fwoosh! Prrcchhh! Wwwiiii-pwfff!”

Peter drew his arm back as if the recoil of an energy blast knocked him slightly back, then he spun on his heels and threw up his other arm, repeating the imitation of the whirring that announced Iron Man’s repulsor charging. An inactive red gauntlet encased his right hand.

“Well, well, well. I didn’t know Iron Man was training a successor.”

The voice, tinged with amusement, surprised Peter so badly, he stumbled over his own feet as he whirled around and promptly landed on his bum with a soft ‘oof’.

A blonde woman was leaning against the doorframe, head tilted to the side, looking at him.

Peter was staring back at the stranger in embarrassment, yet immediately awed by her appearance. She was smirking at him and his bright red cheeks, arms crossed in front of her chest, clad in a pair of bluejeans and an army jacket over what appeared to be a blue and red shirt with golden hightlights.

“Um…” Peter trailed off eloquently.

The smirk turned into a genuine smile as she took three steps forwards and extended a hand to help him up. Peter accepted gratefully and was surprised at the strength behind the pull.

“Nice to meet you…?” She trailed off with the obvious invitation to introduce himself.

“Uuuhh, Peter,” it sounded like a question because he was not really sure whether he should just tell random people popping up in the compound his real name. Just to be on the safe side, he refrained from adding his last name.

“And what are you doing here, Peter?”

A snort drew their combined attention to a third presence. Tony stood in the doorway and took in the scene in front of him, grinning at what he saw.

“Carol, stop intimidating the kid,” he chastised the blonde, sounding far too amused by the situation for his own good, “He’s just a kid, you know. Not one of your rookies.”

The woman, Carol, let go of Peter with a chuckle and moved towards Tony. “It’s good to see you,” relief tinged her voice and she clapped him on the shoulder, “I was worried after the press coverage. For both of you.”

Tony flashed her a smile, one of his fake ones. “Yes, well…”

“Sorry,” she amended with a grimace, “Too soon, eh?”

“Maybe.” It was the most Peter had ever heard Tony admitting to perhaps not being fine. He felt his mouth falling slightly open but could not bring himself to close it again after that. “What are you doing here, oh Major, my Major?”

“Checking up on you.”

“Sourpatch’s not here, right now, sweet roll.”

Carol shoved Tony against the shoulder in a gentle manner. “On you, Tony. I don't care about James exclusively, I'm also friends with you. Even if I wasn’t, I don’t think he’d forgive me if I didn’t come ask how you are.”

Tony’s defiant look melted into an abashed smile. He scratched the back of his head before shoving his hip against hers playfully. “Aw, gee, I didn’t know you cared.”

Carol apparently remembered Peter’s presence about now since she pointed in his direction. “I care enough to be curious about who you let in here.”

Tony basically glowed as he danced around Carol put an arm around Peter’s shoulder and pulled the teenager between them. “He’s new blood. Part-time honorary Avenger, but not an official member yet. All in all, he’s alright.”

Carol silently stared at Peter for a moment, then at Tony, then at Peter again. She snorted, then broke out in to a delighted laugh.  
“Why didn’t you tell me you went for adoption?” Her tone suggested that was only half joking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I love Carol Danvers, her friendship with Tony, her relationship with Rhodey and because everything concerning Civil War II can kiss my ass.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So,” he clapped his hands together, “The Defenders, eh? Catchy. Sounds more optimistic than Avengers. If you defend something, chances are it’s not gone yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally started binging season 2 of Jessica Jones. Not sure yet if I'll like it as much as S1, but it definitely means I've got her stuck in my head. Only downside is, I had to bring in Netflix's version of Danny, too.

It was amazing, really, how unimpressed the private investigator looked at pretty much everything, including Tony. He was used to a wide range of looks thrown his way, from worship to hate, but only seldomly with so much obvious disinterest. No, disinterest did not really cover it. On the contrary, she threw him glances at a high frequency from the corner of her eyes, her eyebrows drawn into an almost flat line just like her mouth. It was almost amusing for him to see her try to tell him just how unimportant she thought he was.

“You got at least some decent booze around?”

Tony, fighting the grin spreading on his face without much success, raised his eyebrows and looked at the only other man in the room wearing a decent suit, although the cut and color left a lot to desire in Tony’s eyes. Oh well, what could you expect from someone who grew up with monks… Danny Rand’s cheeks were bright red and he shuffled his foot, answering with the attempt of a smile that was more of a rueful grimace.

“Sure,” Tony drawled, “Right next to the fridge that generates and endless supply of pizza and the button that grants the pusher instant world domination. They’re absolutely safe and warranted here because teenagers are constantly around.”

Jessica merely snorted, but finally plonked herself down onto the wide couch where Danny and the Daredevil were already sitting. It was a strange sight, despite constantly having costume-clad superheroes around the compound, to see the man in a red and black body armor and horned mask sit there, hands clasped together, looking less than comfortable with the situation. Which was a feat since more than half of his face was covered with said mask. He had insisted, put his anonymity as a condition for his presence at this meeting, and it was not like Tony could not understand the wish for that particular safety.

Tony turned to Luke Cage, who stood next to the couch with crossed arms, and gestured at the piece of furniture. “Please,” he offered, “Let’s all have a seat.” Luke raised one eyebrow, said nothing and kept standing in his chosen spot. After a moment of blandly staring at each other, Tony shrugged and made himself comfortable in an armchair facing the couch.

“So,” he clapped his hands together, “The Defenders, eh? Catchy. Sounds more optimistic than Avengers. If you defend something, chances are it’s not gone yet.”

“Well, we didn’t name ourselves,” Jessica groused, “Maybe you should’ve asked your PR department for something better.”

Tony chuckled. He liked her already. “Tell that to Nick Fury if you ever meet him. If I’d gotten to choose, the name would’ve definitely had more flair.” He laughs a little at his own joke, trying to break the ice, but he’s got himself a tough crowd to please. Except for Danny, perhaps, who made the impression of an eager puppy when setting up this little playdate. “But I’ve got to admit, defending sounds infinitely more appealing than avenging. You did a good job with our lovely Big Apple, as I heard.”

“So you what, want to downgrade your team status and join us instead?” Luke’s voice held a mocking edge but was tinged with incredulous amusement rather than malice.

Tony gasped overdramatically. “He speaks!”

“Yeah, and he punches, too.”

“Aw, The Rock two point oh, you’re adorable. But, actually, I wanted to propose an upgrade to you four.”

“Not,” he added andraised his hands as Luke and Jessica started to vocally protest to get everyone’s attention again, “Not permanently. I get it. You care for this city, you look out for the little guy. It’s noble and honorable and all that jazz and I do get it, believe it or not. And I don’t want to take that from you. But…” He trailed off, his thoughts swirling like the cold, distant stars in the abyss that stared back into him as he fell backwards, helpless, isolated, dying.

A series of pointed coughs pulled him out of his spiral of memories and nightmares. He blinked owlishly as reality came back into focus. “Sorry,” he muttered automatically.”

“But?” Daredevil prompted with his gravelly voice, polite and sensitive enough to gloss over Tony’s little episode. The genius was distinctly grateful for that.

“But there will be special circumstances. There will be bigger threats. Bigger than my team will be able to handle. I’m not talking supervillains, I’m talking global extinction levels.” He got eight raised eyebrows for that declaration. “And I hoped you would be ready to lend us a hand when it comes to that.”

Daredevil leaned forward in his seat, tilting his head. “Tell us more.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What do you think? Would buying out tickets to Disneyland for an afternoon be overkill?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's only a really really short one, I've just got so much to do today. Sorry for that. I hope you enjoy it nevertheless. Better than nothing, eh? ^-^"

“What do you think? Would buying out tickets to Disneyland for an afternoon be overkill?”

Rhodey stared at Tony blankly, processing the question and blinking owlishly in the process. “Why would you-“

“The kid’s got a free weekend ahead and he deserves a treat,” Tony shrugged, “He worked really hard lately.”

Rhodey snorted. “Yeah, sure. Nothing to do with the fact you just want to spoil him rotten ‘cause you’ve got a soft spot for him.”

“What a callout,” Tony gasped with mock offense, “Really, sugarplum, how can you tell on me like that?”

“Very easily. But, really, man? Disneyland?”

Tony shrugged again. “What’s good enough for a date should be good enough for a normal trip, right?”

“He’d love you even if you just took him out to Burger King and hung out with him in a dumpster, Tones. The kid practically worships you.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, platypus.” Tony waved off his best friend in a dismissive way but could not stop a pleased smile from forming. He looked at Rhodey in contemplation. “How do you feel about a trip to the beach?”

“And get buckloads of sand into my brand-new braces? No thanks.”

“Are you implying that something I built could ever be interfered with from something as pesky and common as sand? Sand?! Why are you trying to hurt me, sour patch? Why??”

Rhodey cackled. “Because sometimes you just make it so easy.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honestly though, which self-respecting hero wore a cape anyway?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not posting sooner. University picked back up, so I will probably not find the time to write something everyday. But hopefully still every other day.
> 
> Also, no continuation of the science fair today, but it's still planned.

The thing was not that Tony Stark hated Stephen Strange. Quite the contrary. In fact, from the moment he had met him with his razor wit and fabulous facial hair, he had felt a strong kinship with the former neurosurgeon. The thing was that Tony hated Strange’s magic with a fierce, science-fueled passion. And most of all he hated when that magic was bothering him in any way, shape or form, like his stupid cloak constantly did. The red piece of clothing was about the only downside of Strange’s visits at the tower or the compound.

Honestly though, which self-respecting hero wore a cape anyway? Besides Vision. But Vision was not like a human in this aspect. Still, Tony knew at least one fashion designer that would yell at both Strange and Vision until they became deaf just how stupid their cloaks were. And he himself had no problem with muttering very loudly just where that magic carpet knock-off could float off to. But all his half-hearted griping did not stop the thrice damned rug to swish towards him and lay down around his shoulders in a weird sort of animated-inanimate-object-hug. Whatever that was supposed to be.

The apparent consciousness of the cloak still irked him though. Always prodding, always swishing, tugging him in certain directions or smoothing out crinkles in his clothes. It would be amusing and heart-warming if it wasn’t so irritating. Because it was irritating. Highly irritating, and Tony did not know where he got the patience from to put up with it. He also had no problems ranting at the cloak in length about his frustrations.

“…because let me tell you, it is very distracting if you’re welding and suddenly a piece of clothing tugs your arm awa- hey, I said, stop it! I could burn you, myself or this circuit if I slip off, ordered in the rank of importance. So, for the last time, stop it!”

A chuckle caught Tony’s attention. He switched off the blowtorch, removed the safety goggles and turned towards the door. The cloak tugged at his shoulders, drawing him towards the Sorcerer Supreme who was looking at Tony and the cloak with open amusement. “It likes you.”

Tony grumbled in response, mixing a few half-hearted swear words in the mix, but his complaints lacked any real bite. Stephen swiped his arm and the cloak followed his movement, detaching itself from Tony’s shoulders and floating across the room to settle around Strange’s frame again.

“Yeah, but it ruins my style opposed to yours.”

Stephen raised an eyebrow at the grease-stained shirt clinging to Tony’s chest. “Yes, your styling is clearly impeccable at all times. What a heartthrob you look like now.”

“Excuse you,” Tony huffed, “I always look great, no matter what I wear.”

Stephen inclined his head and shrugged. He apparently could not argue with that point. Either that or he had decided that one should not argue with lunatics. “If magazines are to be believed, you look even better without whatever you wear.”

Tony grinned back, enjoying the bantering that almost held an air of flirting. “Oh, most definitely, Doctor.”

Stephen smirked and leaned forward to whisper into Tony’s ear. “Then please follow me to the infirmary and let me have a look under the bandages on your shoulder. I want to check how well it’s healing.”

Tony threw his head back and groaned in frustration. “I hate you. And your stupid cloak.”

Stephen grinned and the cloak fluttered in an almost sassy fashion. “Oh, we know.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Aw, look at that, Tones. You do the same when you’re nervous. He’s already picking up habits from you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! The science fair!
> 
> But tbh I'm not very proud of it. I could not for the life of me think of something good that Peter could have made - especially since I have no idea how these science fairs actually work. So I gave him something which I'm not sure whether it's fanon or canon that Tony/SI works on.

Tony had hated children back when he had been one himself, or at least as much as he had ever been allowed to be. The hatred had carried on as he went to college, still little more than a scrawny shrimp of a barely teenaged boy. Then, he had started to not care for many things at all, including people younger than eighteen. The appreciation had begun to grow back a little bit after he took on his position in Stark Industries, supporting internships, offer jobs and opportunities to young scientists, giving speeches at MIT every couple of years and so on and so forth. With the years, the amount of deeds for the next generations grew and grew and he learned how much he enjoyed doing them. How much it brightened his life to see the bright future they offered with their ideas and inventions, better and more brilliant than what he could offer to the world. The older he got, the more joy he drew from seeing young ingenious minds thrive and prosper. Minds such as Peter’s who had outdone not only every other contestant at the science fair but also himself with his entry – an ecofriendly filtration system to purify water. Tony had been toying with a couple of ideas in this direction and had let Peter have a look at them. The kid, amazing as he was, had developed an own idea. Tony had pushed him to crafting a prototype by himself. Peter had excelled at this task and, finally, proudly decided to sign it up as his science fair entry.

Of course, Peter had surpassed the other contestants with flying colors. Tony was so incredibly proud, his chest was puffed the entire time while he stood in the background watching as the jury handed the kid the trophy for the first place. Peter’s eyes were shining as brightly as his smile, his cheeks flushed pink. As he dug his hands into his trouser pockets, Rhodey turned to Tony with a wide grin, pushing his elbow into the other’s side repeatedly. “Aw, look at that, Tones. You do the same when you’re nervous. He’s already picking up habits from you.”

“I don’t do that,” Tony grumbled half-heartedly.

“Liar,” Rhodey sang and tugged back the lapel of Tony’s jacket to reveal Tony’s hands stuffed firmly into the pockets of his trousers.

The genius made a sound akin to “pshaw” and shoved his shoulder against Rhodey’s without much strength behind it.

“You could name him your heir already just as well, Tones,” Rhodey continued to fib, just loud enough that Pepper could hear him. Cruel mistress that she was, she leaned forward and whispered into their ears. “What a PR stunt that would be. Tony Stark adopts potential successor. Most people will of course wonder if he is actually your illegitimate kid, of course.”

“Yeah, that will be your second one, just alongside Spider-Man,” Rhodey teased.

Tony pulled his hands from his pockets, only to cross his arms in front of his chest and rolled his eyes with a sigh. “I hate all of you.”

“Tony!” A practically radiating Peter was running at him and flung his arms around Tony’s neck. “You didn’t have to come. And Rhodey, Ms Potts, you too. This – this is so awesome, thank you so much for dropping by.”

Tony broke the hug to tousle through Peter’s hair while smiling fondly. “Anything for you, kid. You did amazing.”

“Yeah, you were a regular Tony Stark Junior with that project.” Rhodey winked at Peter who blushed furiously.

“Nah,” Tony slung his arm around Peter’s shoulder again, “He was even better than that.”

Peter’s face was so red, it almost resembled the color of his mask.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “If you sigh longingly at that lab coat one more time while I am forced to watch, I will punch you, Tones. I swear to God.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, this time here's a bit of angst, I guess.

“If you sigh longingly at that lab coat one more time while I am forced to watch, I will punch you, Tones. I swear to God.”

Tony sighed longingly. “But I miss him, Rhodey.”

“I told you not to do that,” the colonel growled and gently punched his best friend against the shoulder, “Your pining is depressing.”

“I am not pining,” Tony sniffed, sticking his nose into the air, but still without much dignity overall.

“Yes, you are.”

“Yes I am.”

Rhodey nodded in self-confirmation. Of course the idiot was pining. It had been two years and he had been pining and worrying ever since. There had been one really bad week when the quinjet’s signal had vanished entirely and it had taken everything to stop the genius from hopping into his Iron Man suit and flying all around the globe in a frenetic search for his science bro.

Before everything had gone south, Steve had once asked him if he was jealous of Bruce, of the fast, easy and intimate friendship Tony had instantly formed with the bespectacled scientist. Rhodey had snorted in amusement, disregarding the question as a joke. Tony was generous with his affection, latching onto the few people he instantly and easily got along with. Rhodey had not been able to fathom why he should be worried about his place in Tony’s life as his best friend and platypus only because Tony had met his Brucie bear. Tony was closed off to so many people, used to being shunned or used or ridiculed or treated nasty in general that it was balm for Rhodey’s soul to see him open up so wholeheartedly and completely to someone else once more. It was beautiful to watch. And, of course, it gave him ample opportunities to tease Tony about his science crush. Of course, Rhodey had also had his problems with Bruce, with his apparent fear of getting too close to Tony, with his natural flight response to any kind of problem. But in the end, what mattered most to Rhodey was Tony’s happiness. And Tony was especially happy when he had Bruce around.

He only hoped that the man and his green alter ego would return sometime soon. Tony was in dire need of all the friends he could gather. Especially the gentle kindness of Bruce would probably be balm on Tony’s soul. Rhodey only hoped it did not need another global threat for the wayward genius to return.

Oh, if only he knew how wrong he was going to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just had to write something about Tony missing Bruce after I saw the adorable set photos of Mark Ruffalo and RDJ hugging. I'm such a sucker for Science Bros/Science Boyfriends (shippy as well as platonic), I cannot wait for them to be reunited on screen.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was not even really sure whose reaction he was more worried about, Tony’s to Shuri or Shuri’s to Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, yeah. The countdown is long since over. I'm sure all our hearts have been collectively been ripped out by now. But I still had this one to complete for Tempest_Raining. And then there will be one last chapter which I had begun writing but not finished so far. After that, I will probably starting to write myself stupid to deal with the emotional trauma IW gave me. But for now, enjoy this little piece.

T’Challa was concentrating really hard to not tap his foot, keeping his hands firmly folded behind his back. He really wanted to keep the profound nervousness that had him unsettled from showing on his outer features. This visit in New York, this meeting with Tony Stark was very important, probably setting a path for the future. It was an important step forward in integrating Wakanda further into international relations, laying out the grounds for a joint scientific research project. But, by Bast, T’Challa could not help but feel like he was walking on eggshells with this one. He was not even really sure whose reaction he was more worried about, Tony’s to Shuri or Shuri’s to Tony. The many ways a first meeting between the two geniuses could go wrong had filled the nightmares of his last sleepless nights. Of course, he also knew fewer people he imagined to get along like a house on fire, but both of them could just as easily get off on the wrong foot and choose to dislike each other until the end of times. He knew the stubborn streak and well-deserved pride of his sister intimately and he felt like he also knew a bit about the headstrong ego of Tony Stark.

 

The jet’s door opened and he actually clenched his jaw as he saw Tony standing at the far end of the landing pad, sunglasses on his nose, his arms crossed, mostly but not completely dimming the cold blue light shining from his chest, obviously waiting for the royal Wakandan delegation to arrive. The four Dora Milaje that accompanied him and Shuri, including Okoye as their leader, built two lines at the ramp, heads held proud and spears clearly displayed in their hands. T’Challa walked down the ramp, Shuri not even a whole foot length behind him. At the same time, Tony broke into movement and came closer to greet his guests. His lips were twisted into a small smile instead of his signature grin he flashed in front of the press. That, however, appeared to be the height of his politeness because when he extended a hand to shake T’Challa’s, he greeted him with a teasing “Good Monday morning, Garfield.” Then, he nodded at the Dora Milaje with a cheerful “Ladies” and, finally, turned to face Shuri. Cold dread filled T’Challa’s stomach and as soon as Tony opened his mouth again he saw his worst suspicions confirmed. “I still think you should make that interface more intuitive. And just what are you trying to pull with that look? Trying to appear taller than me? Hair buns do not count to body height, Leia.”

 

An affronted gasp came from Okoye and she whipped around, obviously more than ready and willing to put Stark into his place and for a split second, T’Challa was all for it – how dare he treat a young woman that way, a princess to top it off – but then, Shuri snorted. The snort dissolved into a giggle and she shoved her elbow into Tony’s side. “I’m not taking fashion advice from someone who thinks hair on his face should be trimmed like that, you know. But I have actually revamped the interface. Would you perhaps give it a look later? I’d like your input on it.”

 

“Sure thing, short stuff,” Tony honest to God threw an arm around her shoulder, pulling her towards the door, “The bots can’t wait to meet you in person, you know. And I have some ideas and blueprints I’d like your superior opinion on.”

 

The dread in T’Challa’s stomach returned with full force, but with another, profound worry as his main focus. _By Bast, they liked each other_. That was perhaps the worst outcome, he decided right there and then. He could already picture the dreadful mix of memes and nicknames these two would concoct if left unattended for too long. With a start, he hurried to catch up to Tony and Shuri, motioning for the Dora to follow him. “Ever so sorry to interrupt your fun,” he could not keep the acid out of his voice entirely but it was still an admirable display of self-discipline, “But just how do you two know each other?”

 

Shuri did not really meet his eye, but Tony had no qualms launching into a tale immediately. “Oh, I thought you knew, Bagheera. Amazing Grace 2.0 here got curious about the Stark Industries servers and at her attempts to sneak a peek, she had a run in with my firewalls a couple of years back. I think I’ve never got an email before or since congratulating me on the aggravating snark in my coding.” Tony laughed in genuine delight. “She had a couple of questions about J- about my program and we kept in contact. Even the most paranoid or reclusive of scientists like the occasional look by a valued and capable colleague to help with an idea.”

 

That was a heavy violation of Wakanda’s isolation policy. No wonder Shuri had not told him about this. T’Challa felt a surge of justified rage. What incredibly foolish behavior! He crossed his arms and huffed, glaring at his sister who had at least the decency to look a tiny bit sorry. He huffed again, his anger dissipating as fast as it had risen.

 

“At least tell me in advance when you plan to take over the world together.”


End file.
